Klamath Falls, Ore. – One of only two wooden baseball stadiums in North America is located in Klamath Falls.
Construction on Kiger Stadium began in 1947.
It initially served as home to the ‘Gems’, a farm team of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kiger Stadium is now owned by the city of Klamath Falls.
“It’s a unique amenity that we have.” Explains Nathan Cherpeski, Klamath Falls City Manager. “It’s not physically in city limits, but we bought it in the 50’s to save it.”
The stadium was recently evaluated by an engineering firm.
The first and second base bleachers showed evidence of weathering and dry rot, the report also identified other areas for improvement.
“Generally, it’s in pretty good shape.” Cherpeski summed up. “The bleachers probably need to be replaced, those outside ones – and then there were some seismic recommendations for the actual structure. It didn’t have those requirements when it was built.”
Kiger Stadium has seen a lot of baseball over the past 70+ years.
But its wood construction will need some attention to keep those baseball dreams alive.
“There aren’t many wooden stadiums left.” Adds Cherpeski.
Klamath Falls City Council will be briefed Monday night on the engineering assessment of Kiger Stadium.
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